


I'm the Princess I Don't Wanna Be the Queen

by larrystylinsobbing



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Peter Pan Fusion, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Cute, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-13 05:15:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larrystylinsobbing/pseuds/larrystylinsobbing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Princess Harry Styles lives a luxurious life. Everything is easy and whatever he wants is handed to him on a silver platter. But the time has come for him to be crowned queen, and he’s not yet ready to give up his leisurely lifestyle. The night before his eighteenth birthday, a bright eyed boy in green tights flies through his window to take him to a land where you never have to grow up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Story Begins

The kingdom was peaceful during the morning. A quiet lull settled as the citizens of England woke slowly or slept in after long nights. Soft whispers and the nearly inaudible sound of tea sipping were the only sound that disturbed the sweet silence. This was Harry’s favorite time of day.

The curly haired boy would stare down at the sleeping country and ponder how his mother felt being queen. It must be terrifying knowing that the smallest mistake could destroy an entire nation. Harry’s mother was his idol.

Anne Cox was a brilliant queen. She ruled just as a queen should. The people loved her dearly, but also respected her authority. It was a delicate balance to uphold, but somehow Anne achieved it with ease. Harry could only hope to be such a great ruler.

This morning, as Harry gazed out at the world around him from his high balcony, he felt a rush of panic instead of peace. Tomorrow was his eighteenth birthday, which meant he would get the crown. Even the thought of being queen left a vile taste in Harry’s throat. He wasn’t ready to rule yet.

Princess Harry was adored by all. He had easily stolen the hearts of England with his charming curls and angelic dimples. In all honesty, he hadn’t given any real reason for people to like him besides his pretty face, but that was perfectly okay with him.

Since he was born, Harry had been treated as a princess should be. Everything he ever wanted was handed to him without question. He kept up with all the most recent fashion trends, had the latest and greatest of everything, and even had a small, fabulous group of friends to follow him around and fawn over him. Harry adjusted his tiara nervously. All that would change tomorrow. He would be given the thing he detested most: responsibilities.

There was a sharp knock on the door that separated his room from the balcony. Harry turned to see one of the royal guards standing by the door, which he had left ajar.

“The queen asks that you be ready in ten minutes. You are needed for preparation for the coronation tomorrow.” And at that he turned and scurried out of the room.

Harry was more than put off with the guard’s news. Not only had he come into his room uninvited when he was dressed in his nightgown of all things, but he despised the idea of spending a whole day preparing for his loss of freedom. On top of that, he was expected to be ready on short notice. He was a princess, and it was common knowledge that princesses need time to look beautiful.

After undressing, Harry slipped on one of his more casual dresses. He stomped moodily into his extravagant bathroom. The princess sighed into the mirror. As he brushed out his bouncy curls, he tried to imagine what life would be like as a queen. Surely it could only be awful. After giving the mirror one last look, and thanking the forces above for giving him naturally perfect looks, he stepped into a nice pair of flats and exited his room.

The same guard who had interrupted his peace on the balcony began to lead him down the long winding stairs. After giving the man the dirtiest look he could muster, Harry followed him down the steps. The guard took him through several hallways full of bustling servants. For every hall the entered, the peasants would stop and bow their heads until he had passed.

Finally, they reached the celebration hall. This room was completely empty except for the queen and Harry’s best and classiest friend, Nick. It was a huge relief for Harry to see his two favorite people ready to help him, and he felt some of the pent up anger dissipating.

“Oh, Harry,” Anne rushed forward and wrapped her son in a motherly hug, “You’ve gone and grown up.”

Harry hugged her back tightly and took a deep breath. Each second that passed brought him closer and closer to being crowned queen. As time slipped away like tiny grains of sand in his fingertips, he lost a bit of his glorious youth.

“Come on now, let’s not get sappy.” Nick chuckled. He had such a lovely voice. Harry wished he could hear him speak more.

“You’re just jealous that you don’t get to hug the princess.” Harry teased.

“You won’t be the princess for long! Soon you’ll be queen and you’ll forget all about your boring commoner friends.” Nick feigned sadness.

“Oh Nicholas, you know that’s not true. My first decree as queen will be to make you my handsome king.” Harry joked.

In actuality, Harry was positive that he would rule alone. Throughout the entirety of his life, no one had seemed nearly special enough to make him fall in love. He had often tried to make himself grow feelings for Nick, knowing he would indeed make a great king, but there was no spark. Besides that, Harry didn’t want to have to have to compromise political decisions with a husband. He would life his life independently just like his mother had.

Without knocking, which got under Harry’s skin, the royal tailor strolled confidently into the massive room. The steady clacking of her heels against the polished, marble floor echoed against the walls.

Since Harry was born, Lou had designed every outfit he ever wore. From his finest dresses to his undergarments, she did it all. Over the years Harry had befriended her, but didn’t make it known to the public. A princess seen spending excess time with his tailor would surely ruin his reputation.

“Hello, Lou.” Harry greeted dully.

“Your dress is perfect,” she wasted no time with a greeting, “It’s by far my best design! You still have to be fitted, but it shouldn’t need any alterations. I’ve memorized your measurements by now.”

Harry nodded in affirmation, “Shall we try it on then?”

Lou nodded giddily and began scurrying in the direction of his personal fitting room. Harry gave a quick good-bye and a curtsy, before following at a slow pace. A princess hurried for no one.

Once in the privacy of the fitting room, Harry let his walls come down. One of his favorite things about Lou was that she understood exactly how he must act in public and never seemed offended by how coldly he treated her under the judgmental eye of the citizens.

“Close your eyes!” Lou instructed.

Harry did as he was told. In all honesty he was more than excited to see the dress. If there was one thing he loved, it was fashion. Frilly dresses and priceless jewelry made him feel pretty.

“Okay open!”

Harry gasped in amazement. Somehow Lou had managed to fit in all of his favorite things in the seams of expensive silk. The dress was skin tight down to the waist, which would show off his slim hips. It was his favorite shade of pastel pink, and had a subtle sprinkling of glitter to make him shimmer, and would surely get everyone’s attention.

“Don’t just stand there with your mouth wide open! Try it on!” Lou giggled.

Harry scrambled out of his dress, which seemed hideous compared to the one that the tailor was holding. He had long since gotten over shyness when it came to Lou seeing his exposed body. Delicately, as if it might combust if he weren’t careful, Harry stepped into the dress. Lou eagerly tied a perfect ribbon to the corset style backing.

The princess stepped toward the several mirrors in the center of the room. As he examined himself, Harry could hardly recognize what he saw. All signs of youth had vanished. He was an adult. He was a queen.

Harry looked gorgeous, he knew he did. But he wanted to rip the offending article of clothing off his body. Tomorrow he would become the ruler of the most powerful country in the world and the dress signified that. A sick feeling knotted it’s way into Harry’s stomach and for a moment he was afraid he might be sick. He would do whatever it took to be a princess forever.

Lou stood behind Harry in the mirror and sniffled gracelessly. Once Harry had been born, Lou’s mother had decided it was time to begin her training to become a royal tailor. Lou, who was only ten years old at the time, was more than eage to begin. Her mother had been the tailor and her grandmother as well as her grandmother’s mother.

When Harry was six years old, Lou’s mother had died of terminal cancer and the job was hers. At the time, Harry looked up to Lou. She was sixteen, effortlessly beautiful, and he wanted to grow up to be exactly like her. As he grew, he realized it was quite foolish to idolize a servant worker when he was royalty, so he settled for friendship.

The coronation was an emotional time for everyone, but Harry understood this would be particularly hard for Lou. Alongside her mother, she had helped design the frilly little onsie that he had worn on his first birthday to celebrate his crowning as princess. Oh how time flies.

“No one’s going to even pay attention to the ceremony. The only thing anyone will care about it how beautiful you look.” Lou’s voice was tick with unshed tears.

Harry scrubbed his hands over his face, “C’mon, Lou. This is stressful enough as it is. The last thing I need is for you to break down and flood the room with tears.”

Lou nodded toughly. Even though he considered Nick his best friend, Harry knew that Lou understood him better than anyone. He had never outright expressed his fears to be queen, but the tailor could sense his unease whenever the topic was brought up.

“It’s going to be hard at first, but you’ll get used to it. Your mother wasn’t the perfect queen at first and you won’t be either, but you’ll learn. You’ve got tons of people here to support you, and your mother will still be there to help you with any important decisions.” Lou reassured.

“It’s just an intimidating thought,” Harry adjusted the tiara on his head as he often did when he was nervous, “Having a whole country to look after.”

Lou nodded sadly and let the topic drop. She knew that if she let Harry drown himself in fear all day that tomorrow’s ceremony could be a disaster. The tailor let the topic drift to lighter matters. They discussed what shoes he would wear, how he would style his flawless curls, and Lou even offered to let him borrow some of her lipstick, as she had seen the shade his stylist had picked for him and it was horrendous. By the time Harry had to return to the celebration hall for rehearsals, he was giggling with girlish gossip and his spirits were high.

Harry’s mood dropped when he entered the room. The area was a whirlwind of activity. Nick, whom Harry had assigned to set up the hall since he was an expert at interior decorating, was directing servants left and right. He looked ready to rip out his hair.

His mother looked calm yet held an air of authority. She spoke quietly with the Pope, who would be leading the ceremony. When she saw Harry, the queen waved him over. Harry curtseyed respectively at the Pope, then turned to his mother.

“Okay Harry, you’re to enter through those doors,” the queen pointed to intricately designed double doors that were directly across from where they stood, “Both the thrones should be set up here,” She gestured in their general vicinity, “I’ll be sitting in my throne, but once the Pope says the traditional coronary speech, I’ll get up and stand to the right of the throne. You’ll move out of your seat and into mine, and he’ll put the crown on your head. Sound easy enough?”

Harry nodded, even though his head was spinning. His mother’s words had come out in a rush and he hadn’t caught everything, but he figured he would hear the instructions about a hundred times tomorrow anyways.

As the day passed in a blur, Harry became more and more anxious. No one seemed to think he might need a bit of preparation for actually being queen. He had expected something like a small packet on how to rule about a million people or maybe a powerpoint presentation with lots of helpful charts. All anyone instructed him on was which entrance to walk through and to not slouch so much, (it’s unattractive for Pete’s sake, a queen must always look beautiful).

At one point during lunch, Harry had tried to pry information out of his mother, but she too ignored his unease and continued instructing him on an unending list of useless things. So far the only thing he had learned about being queen was to look pretty. If that was all he had to do, then surely he would be the greatest queen England had ever had.

By the time Harry waved to the guard that watched over his door at night, and slumped exhaustedly into his room, he was ready to drop dead. He changed out of the dress he had been wearing and into his favorite pink, silken nightgown that reached just below his knees. Out of sheer whim, Harry stepped out on his balcony to spend his last night as princess in solitude.

As he stared out at the kingdom bathed in the weak light of the crescent moon and twinkling stars, Harry finally let go of his composure. Thick tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, but he did nothing to stop their descent.

It was a weird feeling. All his life Harry had been completely confident with himself. He had no doubt that he did a wonderful job as princess; the commoners seemed to agree with him. But the thought of being queen was daunting.

Harry had never feared anything in life. Even when he was young, he had royal guards to fight off the monsters that lurked beneath his bed. But suddenly he was overwhelmed with fear. He felt as if terror had gotten stuck in his throat like a crisp that he had swallowed wrong and he was choking on it. The worst part was there was nothing he could do.

It wasn’t as if Harry hadn’t had time to prepare for his crowning. He had known since he was only in nappies that he would become queen on his eighteenth birthday. But it had always seemed so far away. He had always felt as if he had tons of time to spare for preparation. Harry had always put being queen in the back of his mind and instead thought of much more important matters like whether or not the bow Lou had given him looked better on the right or left side of his head.

Harry stayed out on the balcony, long fingers clinging to the ancient marble railing with tears creating a gentle shower on the backs of his hands. It was oddly therapeutic to release all the feelings that he had been so carefully concealing since he was a little boy. He knew he would regret staying up to late, but he felt like being a bit reckless.

Just after midnight, Harry turned away from gazing at a star that seemed to be twinkling a bit brighter than the others. He left one of the balcony doors open just a crack, as it often got a bit warm in his room at night and the chilly English air made the temperature drop pleasantly. With a sigh, Harry crawled clumsily into bed, not minding that his nightgown hitched up unattractively as he did so.

Harry’s eyes remained open even after he was comfortable under the thick, cushiony duvet. As childish as it was, Harry was trying to remain awake for as long as possible. He knew his mother would fret over the bags under his eyes tomorrow and somehow it felt as if it were a small form of rebellion.

A soft whispering broke Harry from his thoughts. At first he had thought he had imagined it, because the moment he tried to focus on what the voice was saying, it stopped. But just as Harry settled his head against the goose feather pillow, it started again. This time he could just make out what the stranger was saying.

“Perrie, stop whining. All I’m going to do is stop in, ask for some water, and then we’ll be back home in no time.”

Harry was even more confused now. It sounded exactly as if the voice was coming from his balcony. On top of that although the voice was quite lovely sounding, he didn’t recognize it. He was also positive that he didn’t know anyone by the name of Perrie.

Ever so slowly, Harry crept out of bed, making sure his night gown covered him properly, and tiptoed towards the balcony. He pulled the already ajar door opened. The princess’ eyes widened.

There on the balcony stood a boy dressed completely in green. His shirt was so huge that it may as well have been a dress, and his short legs were covered in bright tights. A hat, which was green as well, was topped with a large red feather. His outfit was quite ridiculous, but Harry was more focused on the tiny blonde girl perched on his shoulder.

The girl was had on a scandalously skimpy dress, which matched in color the boy’s clothes. The most interested thing about her was the thin golden wings protruding from her back. She looked quite grumpy and gave Harry a nasty look when he stared too long.

“Hello,” the boy spoke suddenly, and just like before his voice was soft and angelic, “I’m Louis and this is my friend, Perrie. We were just on our way home, but I’m awfully thirsty. Would you by chance happen to have any water?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Harry Styles lives a luxurious life. Everything is easy and whatever he wants is handed to him on a silver platter. But the time has come for him to be crowned queen, and he’s not yet ready to give up his leisurely lifestyle. The night before his eighteenth birthday, a bright eyed boy in green tights flies through his window to take him to a land where you never have to grow up.

Harry stared confusedly at the unfamiliar boy in front of him. Although he was quite curious as to how exactly the girl on his shoulder had managed to be so small, his biggest question was how the boy had gotten on his balcony. As far as Harry knew, there was no way up and the window was on the fifth floor, so climbing was impossible.

“What are you doing on my balcony?” Harry asked quite rudely. He immediately felt guilty, since a princess was always supposed to be polite.

“Just asking for water.” The boy, Louis, grinned.

“Well, Louis you said? Pardon my asking, but how did you get up so high?” Harry asked nicely this time.

Louis and the tiny girl on his shoulder shared an incredulous look. They both seemed to think the question was ridiculous and Louis even let out a little giggle.

“Well I flew up here of course.”

“That’s absolutely ridiculous,” Harry sassily crossed his arms over his chest, “People can’t fly.”

“Yes they can,” Louis snorted, “Here, I’ll show you.”

And with that, Louis rose expertly into the air and swooped straight into Harry’s room. Awestruck, the princess followed to see him spinning effortless circles through his large bedroom.

“How’re you doing that?” Harry gasped.

“Well anyone can fly really. All you need to do is get a little pixie dust and think about your favorite things!”

“So I could fly too, if I wanted?”

“Of course you can! Here I’ll show you how.”

Louis reached into a small pouch, which hung from his belt, and pulled out a pinch-full of sparkly powder. The airborne boy sprinkled it over Harry causing him to sneeze girlishly. Louis giggled as the pixie dust settled over the other boy’s body.

“It’s simple really. First you need pixie dust, so the first step is already done,” Louis explained, “Now here’s the fun part. Think of good things, like ice cream and waterslides!”

And so Harry trusted the weird boy and thought of everything he loved. He thought of sweets, warm fireplaces, and his beloved tiara. To help concentrate, Harry closed his eyes and lost himself in his joyous daydreams. It wasn’t until his head hit the ceiling, that he realized his feet had left the ground.

Harry’s eyes flew open and he looked down. Sure enough, he was airborne. Although Louis seemed unimpressed at Harry’s flight, he did seem excited, which brought a smile to the princess’ face. It was quite rare that anything fun happened in the castle. The feeling of floating was brilliant. On the ground he had to be dignified, but there were no rules in the air. Suddenly Harry was feeling rebellious.

“We should go flying together!” Harry squealed joyfully.

“That’s a great idea,” Louis flipped joyfully in the air, “You can come to Neverland with me!”

Louis landed softly on the ground and ignored Perrie stomping angrily on his shoulder. She was very unimpressed by the princess. Instead, Louis focused his attention on the still hovering Harry.

“Neverland?” Harry asked. The word tasted strange on his tongue, “What’s that?”

“It’s my home.” Louis seemed amused. Perrie looked annoyed. “It’s the most perfect place in the whole universe!”

Harry furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. Surely he would’ve heard of this place if it was as nice as Louis claimed.

“Well what’s so great about it?” Harry asked. Again he mentally chided himself for sounding so rude.

Louis smiled brightly, “The forests are so lovely and the beach is beautiful and all my best friends are there! It never even rains and the sun is always shining! But the best part is that you never have to grow up!”

Never grow up. Just moments before, Harry had been on his balcony desperately wishing for that very thing. A thousand thoughts sped through Harry’s mind like horses on a race track and every single one conveyed the same message: go to Neverland.

“Yes, yes I’ll go. But we have to go now.” Harry nodded frantically.

Louis clapped his hands together giddily. A new friend meant new adventures, and adventures were his favorite thing in the world.

“Where exactly is Neverland?” Harry asked unsurely.

“Well it’s impossible to find on your own,” Louis scratched his head sheepishly, “But that’s alright because I’ll be here to guide you. You’re gonna love it!”

Louis skipped back out onto the balcony and beckoned Harry to follow. Before leaving his room, Harry picked up his tiara and placed it securely on his head. A princess always looks fabulous.

When Harry returned to the balcony, Louis was making half-hearted attempts at making Perrie laugh. Already Harry had taken a disliking to her.

“That’s a very pretty hat.” Louis complimented.

“It’s not a hat. It’s a tiara.” Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Louis giggled at Harry’s sassy response and quickly laced his fingers with the other boy’s. The touch startled Harry. No one had held his hand before. But before he had time to think about it, Louis was hurling himself off the balcony taking Harry with him.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for impact. After several seconds of nothingness, he hesitantly pried his eyes open to see he and Louis were in midair and Louis’ body was shaking with snickers.

“We won’t fall silly! We can fly!”

“Right. I guess it’ll take me a while to get used to it.” Harry blushed, “Go on then. You know the way.”

And just like that, Louis was zooming through the sky taking Harry with him. Perrie sat on his shoulder and laughed at Harry’s flushed expression. With one hand, he held on tightly to the intricate tiara on his head and with the other he had Louis’ tiny hand in a death grip.

Louis seemed at ease. His youthful face was lit up with joy, as it had been for the entirety of the short time Harry had known him, but he didn’t seem to be in awe. This lead the princess to believe that Louis must have experienced this often enough that the novelty had worn off, and his trust in the boy rose significantly.

Now feeling secure, Harry was able to survey his surroundings. They were now as high as the clouds. The world below was nothing but distant specks and Harry felt free. Up in the air there were no problems. The stars above reflected in his eyes like diamonds and already he was sure that leaving with Louis was the best decision he had ever made.

-x-

The duo landed on a picturesque beach gracefully. Harry’s curls had been made a mess by the whooshing wind, but he found that he really didn’t give a damn.

This new world around him looked too good to be real. The sand on the beach was as white as clean linen and the sea glistened proudly in the shining sun. The beach stretched on to his right and left as far as he could see, but the forest behind him was close by. Bird song rang out melodically from within the dense trees and a soft breeze carried the sounds of laughter.

Louis, who looked quite content, had not been exaggerating. The clean air breathed life into Harry’s anxiety ridden body and he was filled with the feeling of home.

“C’mon! You’ve got to meet the lost boys!” Louis took a hold of Harry’s hand once again and dragged him off into the direction of the forest.

As they traveled into the dense woodlands, the sound of the ocean fading from a dull roar into nothing but a memory. The trees around them grew thick with countless branches protruding from their trunks and making them easy to climb. Harry fleetingly pondered how fun it would be to sit amongst the branches, before remembering that princesses don’t behave in such a fashion.

After a brief walking session filled with lovely commentary from Louis, they approached the most bizarre house Harry had ever seen. On the rare occasion that Harry ventured outside the castle walls, he loved to observe the ways the commoners lived, but never before had he seen a house so abstract.

It seemed that whoever had built it did a good enough job, but cared nothing for the buildings appearance. It was made completely out of wood and if Louis hadn’t been leading him towards it, the house could’ve easily been concealed with it’s bark camouflage. The outer walls were nearly covered in poorly drawn carvings with silly captions that made Harry want to stop and read more. Unfortunately Louis had other plans.

The young boy pulled the old door open dramatically and the hinges creaked in welcome. Inside the house, the walls were covered with a smattering of different colored paints as if the painter kept changing his mind halfway through the job. The whole place was a complete mess, but Louis paid that no mind. The heavy pounding of feet alerted Harry to the presence of other people in the house.

“C’mon boys get out here,” Louis called loudly, “I brought someone for you to meet!”

In no time at all, three boys were pushing and shoving their way into the living room to meet the stranger. Harry tried desperately not to be disgusted with their appearances. All three boys had dirty faces and even dirtier clothes. But their smiles we genuine and gave him a warm welcome.

“I’m Niall! Are you our new friend?” The shortest of the three pushed in front of the others. His blonde hair stuck out in a million different directions and made Harry giggle.

Before he could answer, another one of the boys with piercing brown eyes and mocha skin asked, “Where did you come from?” 

And yet again Harry hadn’t even opened his mouth before the biggest of the three with broad shoulders and soft eyes asked, “Why’re you wearing a dress?”

“It’s not a dress. It’s a nightgown,” Harry crossed his arms and turned his nose up sassily, “And there’s nothing wrong with wearing a dress. I get to wear dresses because I’m the prettiest thing in the whole world.”

The three rambunctious boys stared awestruck at Harry. They were easily influenced and naïve, so they took his words very seriously. Not only were they star struck by Harry but they were impressed that Louis, their leader, had brought the prettiest thing in the world to their home.

“Perrie doesn’t seem to agree.” Louis chuckled. And indeed the pixie was sitting on the coffee table and sticking her tongue out maliciously at Harry.

Harry fluffed his curls snottily, as if to further prove his beauty. The lost boys seemed captivated by him. They watched him sit daintily on the shabby couch and cross his legs. This stranger was quite differently than the wild behavior they were used to and each boy was filled to the brim with questions, except Louis who accepted Harry’s oddities whole heartedly.

“Where did you come from?” Niall, who was the least polite, asked eagerly.

Harry ate up their attention, “I’m from England. But I live in Buckingham Palace because I’m the princess.”

The lost boys gasped in appreciation and Louis sat on the arm of Harry’s chair to listen more attentively. Although he had known that Harry was different from him, he hadn’t known that he was quite this special.

“Is that why you wear your hat?” Louis asked.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, before furrowing his eyebrows thoughtfully, “You wear a hat, Louis. Are you the prince?”

Louis touched his hat in realization. He wore it every day, but had never thought about why. It only made sense for him to be the prince. Everyone listened to what he said.

“Of course I’m the prince,” Louis nodded surely, “And since I’m the prince, I say that we take you to meet everyone in Neverland!”

The idea of a royal tour sounded absolutely splendid and Harry nodded. His mother would be proud of him for befriending the prince. Perrie, who was still on the coffee table, seemed to have given up and only rolled her eyes.

“What do we do while you’re gone?” Liam asked. The lost boys were taking Louis’ new royal status very seriously.

“Um,” Louis scratched his head thoughtfully, “I order you all to have fun!”

The lost boys cheered their approval and Louis smiled triumphantly. He tried to get Perrie to tag along on their adventure, as she never left Louis’ side, but the pixie shook her head stubbornly. Louis wasn’t worried at all, since he never got upset about anything.

Taking Harry by the hand, Louis led him out of the humble house and even deeper into to the woods. With fascination, he watched Harry’s eyes scan curiously at their surroundings. This boy was like nothing Louis had ever seen and something about the princess had him captivated.

“Where are we going first?” Harry asked politely.

“I think we should go see the Indians. They’re not very nice to strangers, but if you’re with me I bet they’ll really like you.”

“That sounds lovely.” Harry said with finality. Truthfully the idea sounded a bit daunting. He had only heard about Indians in the books he read, and his only impression was that they were savages. But he would be led by the prince, and princes demanded respect from the commoners. 

Along the way, Louis was pointing out various landmarks to Harry. He showed him the best tree for climbing, Zayn and Liam’s favorite spot to cuddle, and the hole Niall dug in the ground to hide berries from the rest of his friends. This place was very unfamiliar to Harry and the behavior of it’s inhabitants was even odder. Harry was told that a royal must be dignified and aloof, but Louis seemed to possess neither of these traits. It was safe to say that he was completely puzzled.

From birth, Harry was taught to act a certain way. Respect was to be earned and acting childish was not the way to get it. And yet even though Louis was the poster child for youth and immaturity, he had an air of authority about him that was difficult to ignore. Even his littlest actions made him stand out as a leader. Harry felt as though he should be envious of Louis’ natural leadership, but instead he what he felt was similar to adoration.

Harry could hear the tribe before he say them. Men spoke with deep voices and in colorful language that struck fear into his overly sensitive heart. He stepped closer to Louis in a way that he hoped was subtle. As they approached the camp, Louis laced his fingers through Harry’s and marched up confidently to the biggest teepee and entered without any warning.

The teepee seemed to be bigger on the inside than it was on the outside and Harry was momentarily confused, before focusing his attention to the huge man sitting in the center of the floor. His legs were crossed, his eyes were shut, and the air was thick with the husky scent of burning incense. Harry hoped they weren’t interrupting something important.

“Hiya, chief!” Louis greeted loudly, startling the man out of his meditation.

“Louis! So lovely to see you.” The man said warmly, despite Louis’ rude entrance. His voice was gravelly and loud.

Louis sat cross legged across from the man without being asked too. Harry sat beside his new friend unsurely, choosing to tuck his legs beneath him to avoid opening his legs while wearing his nightgown.

“Who’s this?” The chief asked. He was appraising Harry with harsh eyes, but the princess was determined not to let his nervousness show.

“This is my new friend, Harry. He’s a princess and he’s the prettiest thing in the whole world.” Louis explained.

The chief nodded at the irregular introduction. With his observation of Harry seemingly complete, he turned his attention back to Louis.

“So what brings you here?”

“Well I was going to give Harry a tour of Neverland. I’m the prince and so that’s what princes do.” Louis adjusted his hat as if to call attention to his headwear.

Again the chief nodded, as if the information was old. Although he seemed judgmental, Harry was beginning to like the chief. He seemed pleasantly mellow and treated Louis very nicely.

“Well you have my permission to go wherever you please through my camp. There will be a powwow in just a few minutes if you would like to stay and watch.”

“I love powwows!” Louis sprung to his feet giddily, “You’ve got to see it, Harry, it’s amazing!”

Louis skipped joyfully out of the teepee, leaving Harry to scramble to his feet and follow him out. Sure enough, in the center of camp several tribe members were flitting around setting up necessities for the powwow. Louis plopped down on one of the logs set out around the unlit fire pit in the center and patted the space beside him in indication for Harry to sit.

Members of the tribe slowly trickled out of their homes and found places to sit around the fire pit. No one seemed surprised by Louis’ presence, but Harry was on the receiving end of several questioning stares. The princess folded and unfolding his hands over his lap self-consciously. Although he was used to being looked at, these stares were not out of adoration and made him feel out of his element.

Louis slung his arm around Harry’s shoulders just as the chief arose from his teepee and lit the fire pit causing Harry to gasp in awe. The other Indians, along with Louis, cheered excitedly at the bright display. Still on edge around this strange group of people, Harry scooted closer to Louis.

Several of the Indians rose from their seat and began singing in a language that Harry didn’t understand. The fire rose and fell with the intensity of their singing and Harry’s nervousness dissolved into curiosity and wonder. The singing was unexplainably beautiful and made Harry feel happily lethargic. He leaned his body more towards Louis and let the other boy hold up his weight.

Louis, who had been to plenty of powwows, was used to the wonderfully sated feeling as an effect of the Indians rituals. He smiled lazily at Harry, who seemed completely out of it. The princess’ body was heavy against Louis’ but it felt nice, so he let the warmth of the fire and Harry’s body heat him up nicely.

Harry was never one for physical contact, but he felt so wonderful and Louis’ body was so inviting. Something about the boy who had landed on his balcony made him feel like a whole new person. Harry was positive that Louis was his new best friend. As the powwow unfolded artfully, Harry came to the conclusion that he wanted to stay in Neverland for a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry felt peaceful and light as he and Louis left the Indian camp. It had only been the first stop on their tour, but the princess was falling head over heels for this strange new world. As Louis and Harry skipped towards their next destination hand in hand, the curly haired boy felt his grin widening at the thought of what wonderful things could come next.

As the trees began to thin out, the sounds of splashing water and feminine giggling could be heard. Harry crinkled his nose in disgust. He didn’t like girls.

Harry and Louis stepped past the last patch of trees to find a small lake that lead directly to the sea. What surprised Harry the most were the three girls swimming around the lake who appeared to each have a brightly colored fish tails.

“Hello girls!” Louis called. He seemed to be unfazed by their strange appearance.

The girls turned to wave enthusiastically at Louis. The boy began marching towards the lake, before Harry stopped him.

“Louis, why do those girls have fins?”

Louis laughed, making Harry feel silly for asking, “You act as if you’ve never seen a mermaid before.”

“Well I haven’t, because mermaids aren’t-“ Harry cut himself off. He had no right to say mermaids weren’t real considering he had flown to Neverland. Besides, these girls were swimming around right before his eyes. So Harry let Louis lead him towards the lake, where the mermaids were now gathering to say hello to the prince.

“I would like to introduce you to my new friend, Harry,” Louis said enthusiastically, “He’s a princess. Harry, these are my friends Danielle, Eleanor, and Jasmine.”

The girls waved politely, though none of them seemed even remotely interested in him. Harry blinked in surprise. Back at home, everyone was excited to be around him, but these girls didn’t care. He felt a bad emotion that he had never felt before.

“Come in and play with us, Louis.” One of the girls, which Harry remembered was named Eleanor, said.

Immediately, Louis scurried off into the water. Eleanor smiled brightly and followed him out farther into the lake. Danielle hesitated only for a second, before following Eleanor.

Harry watched Louis splashing around with the girls. Eleanor giggled too much and continued to toss her hair flirtatiously. As Harry inspected her, he noticed that she was naturally flawless and skinny in all the right places. Louis was having a lot of fun with her.

Harry looked down at his awkward gangly legs and thick arms. He hugged himself self-consciously and tried to ignore the voice in his head that desperately wished his waist was petite and curved like Eleanor’s, instead of square shaped and boyish. Suddenly he didn’t feel very pretty anymore.

“You look sad.”

Harry snapped out of his dark thoughts to see Jasmine, one of the mermaids staring at him. She hadn’t gone off with the others and Harry wondered vaguely how he hadn’t paid much attention to her before. Her hair was dark blue with hints of teal throughout her perfectly waved fringe.

“I’m not sad.” Harry said quickly. His mother had always taught him not to give his emotions away to strangers, since they might use them against you.

“Lying isn’t the way to make friends.”

“And how do you know I’m lying?”

Jasmine smirked knowingly, “Well I was only guessing. But you just told me.”

Harry sighed tiredly, “I’m Louis’ friends, but those girls took him away. I don’t like sharing.”

“Eleanor comes on strong,” Jasmine explained nonchalantly, “But that’s only because she likes Louis.”

“What do you mean?”

Jasmine’s eyes lit up. She loved to gossip.

“She like likes Louis. She told me last week. I think he likes her back.”

Harry swallowed heavily. He looked out at the water and watched the trio. Louis had his head tilted back in boisterous laughter. Eleanor gave Danielle a secretive look, before swimming forward to give the boy a tight hug. Without any hesitation, Louis returned the affection.

Harry felt sick. He wanted to run away and never look back, but his body was frozen, stuck watching the scene fold out in front of him. A sickly feeling clawed it’s way up his stomach and into his throat. He wanted desperately to be in Eleanor’s place. He felt inadequate.

Finally finding strength, Harry stomped away from the shore and back into the trees. To his horror, he felt tears dotting his eyes and threatening to spill over onto his porcelain cheeks. Harry hadn’t cried in years, he had no reason too. But something about losing Louis’ attention hurt him deeply.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Louis landed right in from of Harry. The princess jumped back, startled, before cursing himself for forgetting that Louis had the ability to fly and the advantage of knowing the terrain.

“Why’d you run away?” Louis asked. For once, he wasn’t smiling.

Harry crossed his arms defiantly, “I don’t like your friends.”

“Why not?”

“Eleanor is rude. No one’s allowed to be rude to a princess.” Harry turned his nose upwards and willed his lip to stop trembling.

“She’s not rude. You should be nice to her. She’s my friend and she’s never done anything wrong to you.”

Harry blinked rapidly to stop his tears from falling. The voice inside his head was growing louder with everything Louis said to defend Eleanor.

“Not good enough,” It spoke, “Not pretty enough.”

“Well if she’s so great then why don’t you go hang out with her instead of being with someone so awful like me?” Harry said. He was appalled to hear that his voice was thick with tears.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “You’re not awful.”

“I’m awful compared to Eleanor,” Harry mumbled almost to himself, “She’s pretty and skinny and perfect. She’s everything I’ll never get to be.” A single tear rolled down Harry’s cheek and he scrubbed it away.

“But Harry,” Louis looked quite confused, “I thought you were the prettiest thing in the world.”

“I lied okay,” Harry admitted, “I say things like that to make myself feel better. I’ve been doing it for so long now that I actually started to believe the things I said. But seeing Eleanor made me realize that I’m wrong.”

Louis smiled brightly, “Harry you’re not lying! I’ve never seen anyone prettier than you. I think that you’re way way prettier than Eleanor.”

Harry stomach was filled with the fluttering of a thousand butterflies. He gave Louis a wobbly smile. Harry had never wanted to hug someone so much in his life. So he did.

The princess surged forward and threw himself into Louis’ arms. He could hear the boy laughing jovially into his curls, which only made his smile grow wider. Keeping his arms wrapped tightly around the other boy, Louis hovered a few feet in the air and spun around in joyful circles.

By the time they came down onto the ground, they were both breathless. Harry adjusted his tiara where it had gone askew, and Louis tried to stifle his giggles.

“Where’re we going next?” Harry asked suddenly.

Louis looked at the sky thoughtfully, “I think we should continue the tour tomorrow. It’s almost time for dinner and Niall gets grouchy when he has to wait for food.”

Harry nodded in agreement. He was still a bit confused about how time worked here. Back at home, it had been late into the night, but when he landed in Neverland it had been midday. He couldn’t figure out what time zone they were in, since they had flown upwards to get here instead of right or left.

Louis took hold of Harry’s hand and began leading him back to their odd house. Harry wandered if the boy was always so affectionate towards people, though he hoped not. Wanting to squash his doubts, Harry decided to ask him.

“Louis, why do you always hold my hand?”

“Because I like too. Your hands are nice and soft, plus every time I hold your hand you smile really big. I like it when you smile.” Louis chirped brightly.

“Oh.” Harry’s face turned red on it’s own accord.

Harry didn’t know what else to say, but Louis didn’t seem to mind. He hummed to himself and occasionally laughed without explanation. Louis radiated happiness like the sun, and Harry hadn’t realized that back in England his world had been constantly cloudy. Harry had almost forgotten he even had dimples. For the last month of his life, he was always frowning.

Neverland was refreshing. No one here seemed to have any responsibilities. This world’s inhabitants remained in their blissful youth that Harry had been so desperate to cling onto. And as the duo walked back to Louis’ house, the princess felt his tension finally leaving his shoulders. He wouldn’t have to suffer through a monotonous life of ruling a nation. Harry wanted to stay here forever.

“Louis?” Harry asked, as they entered the house.

Louis hummed in response.

“Will you make me go back home?”

Louis almost frowned, “Do you want to leave Neverland?”

“No, definitely not. I just wanted to know if I could stay here.”

Louis smiled hugely and flung his arms around Harry’s neck, “Of course you can stay here! You can make friends with everyone here and we can go on adventures every single day!”

Harry laughed, as Louis pulled away, “Where will I live?”

“Here! This can be your new home and every night can be a sleep over party!”

Harry’s cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much. He was being welcomed quite literally with open arms. The curly haired boy was used to acceptance and love, but something about the way Louis treated him made him feel special.

“I’ve got an idea,” Louis said, “Since I’m the prince of Neverland, you should be the princess! We can have a huge party and invite everyone and have loads of food and then make you official princess.”

Harry liked that idea very much, “When will the party be?”

“Tomorrow night. Everyone in Neverland loves parties.”

Louis brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly. Suddenly Niall, Zayn, and Liam came tumbling out of the hallway in an excited heap.

“Listen up boys,” Louis said authoritatively, “Tomorrow night we’re gonna have a party to crown Harry the princess of Neverland. That means that I need you guys to go and tell everyone that they’re invited and they have to come because I said so.”

“You’re gonna be the princess?” Niall asked in awe.

“Yeah, Louis’ the prince, so he gets to make the decision.” Harry said.

“That’s so cool,” Liam said, “How come I don’t get to be the princess?”

“Because I like Harry the best,” Louis said, “Plus you’re not nearly pretty enough to be a princess.”

Harry blushed fiercely, whereas Liam just laughed. Louis’ compliments made Harry feel hot all over in the best kind of way.

As Louis discussed the details of the party, Harry grew more and more excited. Tomorrow would be brilliant.

-x-

With less than an hour until the party, Harry was fighting the urge to panic. Throughout his life, Harry had been to more parties than he could count and had never felt anything less than calm and collected. This was different.

The people of Neverland were much stranger than anyone Harry had met in England. How was he supposed to know how to behave? Should he be mannerly and polite or loud and obnoxious like Louis? Harry was still in his night gown for Christ’s sake.

Harry found Louis on the sandy shores of the beach, directing the lost boys were to put decorations. It all seemed very formal compared to what Harry had previously seen of Neverland.

“Louis?” Harry said tentatively.

“What’s up, princess?” Harry got a funny feeling in his tummy. He decided he liked when Louis called him princess.

“Will people think bad of me for not wearing a party dress?”

“What’s a party dress?”

Harry blinked in surprise, “Well I guess that won’t be an issue then. Although I should probably get some new clothes soon. These are bound to get filthy.”

Louis clapped his hands together in excitement, “That’s what we can do tomorrow! We can visit the fairy village with Perrie and we’ll get you everything you want!”

The thought of Louis taking him shopping and spoiling him rotten helped dissipate some of the princess’ nerves. On top of that, it would be their first outing as the official prince and princess, which would only add to the fabulousness. So far, Louis had proved to be a great prince, and Harry could only hope to rule alongside him in a similar fashion.

-x-

Harry was deeply confused. Although this was a royal event, it was anything but formal. Halfway through dinner, Niall had started a farting contest while Louis flicked mashed potatoes at the Indian chief. Fairies fluttered around stealing bites off of people’s plates and the mermaids were seeing how many boys they could convince to come out into the ocean to flirt.

By the time dinner began to wind down, the whole beach was a mess, as were most of the party goers. Harry was quite glad he hadn’t gotten a new party dress.

When the time was right, Louis stood atop his wobbly chair and whistled noisily until all eyes were on him. Harry was glad to have an excuse to stare.

“Attention everyone, I’m the prince of Neverland and I have an announcement,” Louis began.

No one contradicted him, even though he had only appointed himself prince yesterday.

“I have a new best friend in the entire world and his name is Harry.”

Everyone looked around curiously. Louis forcefully pulled Harry up from where he had been sitting, so that he too was standing on his chair like a hooligan. Eleanor snorted loudly from the watre.

“Harry comes from somewhere really weird place and he’s really cool. Oh also he’s a princess! So I’ve decided that he’s the new princess of Neverland!” Louis’ words came out in a jumbled rush of flamboyant excitement, but the main idea was noted.

To Harry’s surprise, the people of Neverland cheered wholeheartedly, even the mermaids, who had gotten an awful first impression. He hadn’t said a word to most of these people, yet they all accepted him simply because Louis told them too. The boy seemed to have a lot more power than he knew.

Louis jumped down from his seat and Harry did the same, mindful that his nightgown didn’t flutter upwards. Once on the ground, the lost boys hugged the couple fiercely as if the news was fresh to them. Soon the citizens of Neverland had all come together to form a massive group hug around the new prince and princess.

Even though it was a bit suffocating to be surrounded by so many giddy people, Harry felt at home.


End file.
